Question for the "I go to school and work" teen-aged mums here?

Question

There's a good whack of young people here with babies, or with babies on the way, saying "But I work and go to school!" in response to the usual slags on teen-age mothers as irresponsible welfare recipients.

I'm reading a book about the working poor in the US right now ("No Shame in My Game") and this does not seem...possible.

How on earth does one find an entry-level job that supports two people and pays for child care?

Not criticizing; just very curious. The book's about the urban poor, so I may be missing something about the cost of living in rural parts of the States.

Some explanation -- "I am a receptionist; I make $x/week, my rent is $X, child care costs me $X, so..." would be extremely useful.

Of course how one finds the energy to work AND go to school AND raise an infant will continue to boggle me, but. I'm very curious about the economics involved.

kazz06: how did you get enough money for a down payment on a house while you were teen-agers still in school and taking care of a kid? Wow...

Answer 1

Sorry. I used to be one of these, but I was married at 17 (before the baby) and let my hubby make most of the dough while I focused on finishing school and supplementing his income.

I know a good bunch of my high school friends lived with their parents, who helped watch the children while said kids finished school and went to work to buy things to help support the baby as well as themselves. I think that's how many of them do it, at least while they finish high school.

Also, all of them are entitled to child support from the father, so I'm sure that helps. And some fathers actually stick around to help take care of their children and contribute financially as well.

I'm very amazed at their abilities also. I'm just an at-home journalist, and I still get exhausted caring for my 11-month old son and trying to work at the same time. I can't imagine how they do it!

Answer 2

It's VERY hard but can be done
example
~started out doing housekeeping making $5.15 (july 06) was moved to front desk clerk had two raises and now make $6.5 hr
~work from 11pm-7 am
~school from 8am -4 pm
~sleep 5 hr's if i can then start all over never any free time forgot what it was like.
~mo income @ $1000
~rent "low class effenicy" $475 all bills paid ( also roach infested and very small not a good place for a child but its a place to call home and is not section 8 (hub homes) sec. 8 homes are much bigger, nicer and well kept up by the government. but the list to get a home or apt is a year long (not enough funding by government)
~car note & insurance $300
the rest goes on baby diapers wipes and gas to get me to work and school.
i do get $200 in food stamps but sometimes its not enough but i do make it work im lucky enough to have a ex-mother inlaw that wants to watch my baby all the time for me but i feel so depressed sometimes and wish i could give up because i do not have much time for my son. and i know i can not quit school! i do not want this kind of life and any smart person knows you choose the way you live your life.
as far as school i do not have to pay for that but the gas cost me since its not in the same town.
i try not to let people's opinion's on young woman on welfare bother me but it does because when a person cant relate to something then they should keep their opinion to themselves "if you have nothing nice to say dont say it at all!" is what i learned growing up

Answer 3

Well you can bet that some of them are working, trying to keep an income coming in, then going to school so that they can get a better eduation, and that will lead to a better job hopifully for them. It is hard to be a teen mother, who ends up with the baby and has to work to make sure they have a place to stay. Yes some of them even though they work, they maybe getting dshs to help them go to college, cause dshs would reither help them to go to college and get a better paying job, then have them on welfare all of their lifes. This is every where in the usa, not just there, it is every where, and sometimes you got to take the job that you are offer for now, to keep the family going..

Answer 4

Having a child gives you the energy to have to go to school to better yourself and if you want to pay your bills and eat and survive you have to work too. I am 35 right now and I was a teenage mother, I had A LOT of help from my baby's daddy's parents. We lived with them until we paid off our bills and he took our paychecks to save it for us when we moved out he bought everything. Thank God for people like that or I don't think we would have made it.

Answer 5

well, i think most people in this situation do have some sort of help, like a family member who watches the child for free or cheap, or living with or renting from a family member for cheap, but it can be done. hopefully both parents are trying to both raise the baby and bring in money.

if you dont really have family help here are a few other ways people make it work:

many schools have childcare for students thats cheap or free, and if you work in childcare you can usually keep your child there for free too.

Answer 6

Having a baby when your young doesn't mean you have to claim benefits and sit on your **** or that your a slag i had my son when i was 18 and ive never claimed benefits and hes 3 now my partner and i have both worked hard to ensure our son has everything he needs and that we could afford to pay our morgage and bills and our son is very well cared for. We found away to do what needed to be done to support ourselves because we had to and are not he kind of people who would be happy to claim benefits and live in a council property.

Answer 7

What about their partners who also work, and tax credit top ups?

Answer 8

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